Patent GB-1304145-A (GB)
IPC: A47K13/30
Filed: 1971-07-06
Abstract: 1304145 Sanitary closets C W SCHNYDER 6 July 1971 [17 July 1970] 31553/71 Heading E1C A sanitary closet is provided with an arrangement for automatically cleaning the seating surface after use, the arrangement comprising an annular seat 12 having a seating surface 12a, a cover member 14 which has an annular recess on its underside and is provided with sealing strips 19 so that when the cover and seat are urged together a sealed annular space 20 is provided between them, and a conduit arrangement for feeding liquid under pressure to the space 20 and discharging the liquid from the space 20 into the closet bowl, whereby the liquid travels around the space 20 to clean the whole of the seating surface 12a. The seat and cover may be arranged to come together either when the seat is lowered or when it is raised. In the arrangement shown, the cover 14 is retained in the raised position during use of the toilet by a catch member (16, Fig. 1, not shown) which is arranged to be withdrawn when the flushing cystern of the closet is operated to create a flush, so that the cover falls on to the seat 12 where it is latched in mutually sealing relationship by a gravity operated catch 23 pivoted at 24 wthin a recess in the cover. Alternatively, the cover may be fixed in a raised position and the seat either through spring-loading or power-operation caused to pivot upwardly into sealing relationship with the cover when the user leaves the seat. In either event, the pivoting of the cover or seat to bring the two into sealing relationship causes closure of a microswitch 42 which is disposed adjacent the seat pivot 13 and in the embodiment shown causes suction to be applied to the space 20 by operating a programmer 41 to cause movement of a rotary valve 32 into a first operative position in which a suction unit 33 is connected to a conduit 21 connected to the space 20 at the back of the seat. A conduit 22 also connected to the space 20 at the back of the seat but has a flap valve 25 which is closed by the suction. A partition in the space 20 is provided between the two conduit connections so that flow within the space 20 takes place around the circumference of the seat. As a result of the suction the cover and seat are pressed together until catch 23 can fall into latching engagement with the seat, so that a good seal is ensured. The falling movement of the catch 23 operates a further microswitch 43 which also operates the programmer 41, as a result of which valve 32 is moved in timed steps to each of two further positions in turn. In the first of these positions, a source of flushing water 35 is connected via a supplementary detergent dispenser 37 and heater 36 to the conduit 21, so that hot detergent-containing water flows around the space 20 and is discharged from the conduit 22 into the closet bowl. In the last position a source of drying air, e.g. a fan 40, is connected via a heater 39 to the conduit 21. A further heater 31 may also be connected in one or more of the positions of valve 32. The programmer may also control the flushing of the closet by a valve 45 so that a flushing cystern can be dispensed with. In a modification of the apparatus (Figs. 8 and 9, not shown), suction is not used to urged the seat and cover together, these being drawn together and secured instead by the wedging action of catches (53) operated by hydraulic cylinders (52) in the seat.